Signal for an automobile or other vehicle and street and road purposes



April 7, 1925. 1,532,876

OR OTHER VEHICLE AND STREET AND ROAD PURPOSES H. E. BROWNE ET AL SIGNAL FOR AN AUTOMOBILE Filed July 23, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet -1 .j, 86'

ig? vENTbRs: A I BY k w ATTORNEYS.

April 7, 1925. 1,532,876

H. E. BROWNE ET AL S fGNAL FOR AN AUTOMOBILE OR OTHER VEHICLE AND STREET AND ROAD PURPOSES Filed July 23, 1923 2 sheets-Sheet 2 '1::::::::::: liiilliiih nnn mu CIYEHL I g EVENTORSZ 11W 8 i,

I ATTORNEYS. I

entree STAT HARRY E. BEOW'NE AND V fALTEB 11 1'. BRO'WNE, 01"

PLAINEIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SIGNAL FOR an AUTQMOBILE on ornate vnnrern AND sransr A nnoiAn PURPOSES.

Applicatioiifiled July 2 3, was. Serial No. 653,086. 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY and TVALTER M. BRowNn, of Plainfield, in the county of Union, have invented a new and useful Signal'for an Automobile or Other Vehicleand Street and Road Purposes, of which the following .is a specification.

Our'invention consists of asignal for an automobile or other vehicle and for street purposes adapted to indicate and announce in the vehicle stoppage, starting ahead, or go, and direction of running of the vehicle,;and for controlling travel in streets or'roads and crossings and intersections of the latter by an officer assigned therefor, the construction and operation of the same being hereinafter set forth, and

the novel features thereof pointed out in.

the claims; D r

The invention is satisfactorily illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but the imvaried, and so it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown and described, as long as they are within the scope ofthe claims.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation partly in vertical section of a signal embodying our invention. i I

Figure 2 represents a vertical section thereof on line 22 Figure 1.

Figure on the line 33 Figure 1. I

Figure of a portion on line H Figure 1.

Figure 5 represents a vertical section of a portion thereof on line 5&5 Figure 1.

Figure 6 represents a diagrammatic View of the elect-ric'wire employed.

Figure 7 represents a face view .o'f-the} signal plates employed.

Similar numerals of T reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures' Referring to the drawings. 1 designates a standard which may be connected with a suitable portion of an automobile or other vehicle for use of the signalling device on the latter or anchored in the ground for useof said device for streetj or road purposes.

Connected with casing 2, and 3, the latter being within the casing and having in one side thereof the series of horizontally extending recesses 4.

said standard 'is the E. BRowNE.

State of New Jersey,

nortant instruinentalities thereof may be 4 represents a horizontal section the vertically extending plate 1 In theupperportion of the casing is the rotatable wheel 5 whosebearings are on the adjaceent portion of the column 1, said wheel having on its side the wrist pins on whichris fitted the upper end. of therod 7 whose lower end is connectedby the pivot 8 to the block 9, thelatter being, secured by a suitable bolt and nuts 10, on" the shank 11 of the handle 12, the inner end of saidshank being connected with the sleeve/ 13 which is vertically slidable on thev standard 1, 1

A portion 1a of said shank at'the inner -end of the handle proper is adapted .to act as a tooth to-enter either. of the recesses 4 in the plate 3 and sointerlock, said shank with said plate and consequently the-rod? where the wheel. 5 is held in the position to which it may be rotated.

Connected with the shank of the is contained'thespring16 which isadapted .to press'against the head of abolt 17 which handle, see Figure "4: is the box 15 in which beinglslidably supported on-the vertical rod '20 in the casing 2.

The spring16 and. headof'the bolt 17 limits the motion of the handle'12 in the present case to the left and prevents disconnection of the handle from the spring box 15, it being seen that -whenthe handle 0 represents a horizontal section,

isthus moved, the tooth portion 1410f the shank 11 is withdrawn from the ,recess that it occupied, said handle is' unlocked compressed.- Thenthe handle may bemoved from the platev 3, the'spring 16 then being upj ordown in thefspace atthe left of the plate 3 and the casing 2 carrying withit selected it is directed into the latter when the spring 16 is permitted to expand and so retains said tooth portion of the shank in the recess and interlocks the handle 12 sleeve 22. one end ofwhich has its bearing on the adjacent portion, of the casing 2, the other end of saidtsleeve being attached to the signal body 22 which in the present case is, octagonal in form composed ofv trans- -;parent plates 23.; which comprise the -the rod 7 whereby the-wheel 5 is zrotated to a certain Zextentand'when the tooth portionlfof-the shank reaches another recess-4: as Y whiclr'the ends o'fisaidplates arexsecured.

"One of said headshas the sleeve 21 secured ab y uppo te r to it whilethe other head receives the-end,

of the threaded pivot pin 25 which is supported-on a liinb o'f the -arni 26 which extends from the upper endof the standard 1 and is coupled therewith,"it'beingseenthatby tliese neans the signal body 22 is rota:

Stationarilv surrounding sheath 27 which depends from and is firmly.

.sevcured'to'tthe'ar1n26, it being preferably of r V ,octagonagl for n andhaving' in two opposite sides the openings '28 through which the plates 23am visible, it ibeingnotice d that said platesihave"thereon the names of signajls such as stop and"ahe a d, and the representations of right ,and left :hand

lpointeddirection' arrows, saidnames and freprese-ntatlon being in duplicate, theplates so disposed that Whenajnaine: or representation' appear-sat one ofthe openings '28 it co nterp r w l ap ea a the "openingi28," and the'gchaufi'eur or 'driver of the vehicle can see the rightful signal is displayed. This'di spl'a i caused "nianipulatingthe handle to release 'it and then raising ;or lowering 'rit,*when as the rod fO'llOW'SltiS niot1o-nit1ieawl1eel 5' is thus r sheath where they are visible to the public and the chau fieunor driver;

- The'pIateSi-Q'S are transparent am so the "namesand representations painted or otherwise, formedfth'ereon with' suit-able backgrounds are readily visiblei in day ti1ne,b ut

' videtltherefor by the e'lectriclanip' 29 in-they "body '22, the socket thereof being connected weenie tube 80 WliiChfiS'iTl'OlOSBd in the "'s'leeve 2l and supported on one of the heads *for' nightpurposes' an illumination :is pro- "fQ t of saidbody and theupper end of the standar dl. 7

,fl-n said tube "are assed the Wire con- "ductor's '31 which lead "to the switch 132*and "-"froln "thencefito a battery; or" other suitable so rce of electrical energywhich is connected with the insulating piece -3-3ins said cas ng by the bind ng screw OT13OSt -34 and the contact piece J35 whose v *i're'e endoverharrgs said screw, and its other aen'di-is connected -with said piece "33 by: the f -bintling1=serew or post- 36 which alsoasecures gain additional scon-du'ctori 37 to -said contact pierce; "The"contldetors 32 sna e-7 are' -cqn- 7 h "portion of the shank ofthehandlelQ will said body is the. 7

"Then said shank has secured thereto and depe nd'ingvgtherefroin theinsulatingfblock 38 Wvhi clris adapted to reach thecontact piece 35 and lower the same against "the 'binding screw or post.33, thus closing the circuit the plates wi p "quentlyto the additignial" signal body n ected'iwith theconductor-s and so complete I an electric circuit for said conductors SQand 37. "Now the plates having thereon the 'WOICl,SlJOP aresojai ranged' n the body 22 and the Wheel 5 and rod 7 are so timed 7G "in relatio-nt'o said plates that-r-the latter are presented to the openings28 in the sheath tob'e visible theret-hrough when said rod is at its lowest" point, in which casethetooth enter the lowest recess'lg in "the plate 3.

and southe electric-lamp is energized Where thereon are illuininatedfro n within the body, 22. i

At all tilnesfhovvever,the several plate may be ilhuninated by properly operating the switch 32 especially for purposes at night or dark days. For signallingat crossing or. intersecting streets the signal 'body plates therein, the electricl-an p,the inclos- "ing' sh'e'athand connections 'are duplicated 'and placed-at an angle to those hereinbe'lore first named, and 'sup ported on the casing 2 by the sleeve 39 \vhichisfalso adapted to be rotated to operate the body 22 to bring the 7 plates thereon successivelyiin position back "of the openings '28 in {the sheath. In this case, said sleeve-39 has connected with it in the "casing '2, the; toothed bevel wheel which is adapte'd-to "mesh with the Wheel 5 which is also-stormed as; aftooth bevel wheel 7 '5 so that therla-tter opera-ted by the rod 7 the handle 5 and appurtenancesthereof will impart rotation to said WlleGll-Ofind conse- The wiring for the lamp in the latter 'is connected wi-tlr the conductors 31 and so the lamps of the two bodies willbe energized.

"llavingathusdescribed ourin-vention what we claim as'new-and desire to secure :by Letters P-atentpisai -1.*Inra :signalof the character stated, a

'horizontally niounted rotatable bod v, a se ries of signalson; the peripheryiof said ibody,

z-an inclosure -for said body, stationarilyesupported thereover, said-bodyhavingin its i V '=side -an opening in register with either of *Asthe-jsignal'-""stop" is most: important, ""it'is generallyred'lin color, and so-should be illuminatedinthe day time *as yve'll as at nightfthere is-provi ded onflthe lower part j of'the casing 2, {the additionalconductor said signals and throughwh-iclradesired signal is displayed, a horizontal rotatable shaft carrying saithbodyysa. bevelngear wheel -on sa1d shaft, :1 second bevelled "gear nesh- =1ng "'W'lth the first :Inentioned bevelled gear,

a handle, and a connecting rod for said handle and last nient10ned wheel -wher'eby the body may receive rotaryzmotion to an extent 5 relatively to the signal that 'is to -'be 2' displayed threughesaid opening in said xinclosure. Y

1,532,876 a I y 8 standard for supporting a signal display, a said casing, and a connecting rod Within 10' signal display horizontally sup-ported by said casing connecting said first mentioned 7 said ineanls, a1 casgng 1suri'ounldinlg said veri bevel gear wheel With said opera-ting gear. tical stan art, a eve gear wiee supportec V by said standard, a second bevel gear Wheel operative to impart rotary movement to said i signal display each of said bevel gears being lVitnesses:

mounted Within said casing an operating JOSEPH T. VAIL,

handle pivotally supported With respect to ROBERT W. BURKS. 

